No. 8 Washington is locking in, as the young Mystics carry a five-game winning streak into twin weekend clashes with 15 regular-season games to go.
DC earned a key midweek win over No. 5 Dallas, overcoming a 20-point deficit to silence the Wings 96-92 behind center Shakira Austin’s 27-point, 13-rebound double-double.
“Toughness and togetherness — it’s a connected group,” said head coach Sydney Johnson. “Any lineup we put out there, we’re really trusting how connected they are.”
Washington sits 5.5 games above the playoff line. However, it faces a tough test tonight in No. 4 Atlanta.
The Dream bounced back from Monday’s steep 109-87 loss to No. 2 Las Vegas. Atlanta handled No. 12 Phoenix 96-82 on Wednesday, with sharpshooters Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray combining for 43 points.
“The first half they were just unbelievable,” head coach Karl Smesko said of the duo. “Gave us a bit of a cushion.”
Washington takes on Atlanta tonight at 7:30 PM ET (ION).
